VoterID will do nothing to prevent fraud, and will do a great deal to suppress hundreds of thousands of legal, but mostly not Conservative votes.

It is claimed that many students vote twice, but I have seen no evidence. How we vote is of course secret but whether we vote is not secret. It is recorded in the “Marked registers” which can be inspected on request. A student foolish enough to vote at home and term time addresses in the same general election will have the evidence of the crime recorded in the marked register. This is not prevented at all if they have ID at both addresses and if they do not have the ID, their right to vote is taken from them completely. This is inexcusable. These rights are precious, we must defend them.

But Voter ID was the headline Conservative assault on democracy last week. This week we learn that they plan to gut the electoral commission, stripping it of its power to prosecute for electoral fraud. In 2017 for example the electoral commission fined the Conservative party a record £70,000 after a year long investigation revealed £275,000 of illegal overspend, now THAT is electoral fraud that is actually happening. If you have a spare £275,000 to spend on an unfair advantage in an election then just £70,000 to get off the hook a year later is probably perfectly affordable and good value for Conservative Donations. I’d say we need a stronger electoral commission, with power to give fines that actually deter this fraud. More recently the Electoral commission investigated the Prime Minister’s misuse of funds for his flat redecoration. Is there a connection?

These appalling “dead cat” policies do nothing of any value. They distract from the real crimes, and entrench the Stranglehold on power that First Past the Post gives them. The Conservatives are stealing our Democracy.

(published in Western Morning news and Mid Devon advertiser.)